Today, many seek to open their own business and thereby gain financial independence. But the business world is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. Special laws reign here, according to which only the strongest survive. Not without reason, well-known entrepreneurs advise newcomers to always keep an eye out, otherwise competitors will devour them in an instant.
But how to understand what's what in a world where big money rules? The answer is simple: to study the experience of famous businessmen and draw the necessary conclusions. But for this you need to know who they are - the most famous entrepreneurs in Russia and abroad.
Who is an entrepreneur
First you need to understand who such an entrepreneur is. Indeed, despite the fact that this concept is very common, many still do not know its true meaning.
So, an entrepreneur is a person who engages in any type of activity (producing things, providing services or reselling goods) in order to obtain material benefits. Moreover, he is the leader on whom the burden of responsibility for the product rests, and also monitors all stages of production.
It is important to remember that an entrepreneur is a strong-minded person, because he always puts his money and reputation at stake.
History of Entrepreneurship
The first businessmen appeared long before money was put into circulation, in those distant times when market relations were built on a mutually beneficial exchange. And those who were mothers and smarter, always sought to sell their goods on more favorable terms.
Naturally, with the advent of money, entrepreneurship became even stronger, because now it was possible to calculate the benefits much more efficiently. Many have heard the dictum “War is the engine of progress”, and so, the more conflicts there were, the more rapidly the market developed. In circulation were weapons, overseas goods, as well as slaves, which for a long time were considered the universal currency in many states.
But the word "entrepreneur" arose much later. He was introduced into the verbal circulation by the French economist and philosopher Jean-Baptiste Say, and this happened in 1800.
Famous Entrepreneurs of the Past
We will not recall the dealers of the Ancient World, since there is no reliable information about them, and their methods are of particular benefit. It is more reasonable to consider those who achieved glory not so long ago by opening the doors to a world of great opportunities, or rather, the great businessmen of the twentieth century.
The most famous entrepreneurs of the last century:
- Thomas Edison. The name of this person is familiar to many to this day. Thanks to his innovative ideas, electrical appliances have become the norm. The telephone was one of his first creations, for which he received $ 100, 000 from Western Union. Among his other merits can be noted kinescope, as well as the modernization of the incandescent lamp. After himself, Edison left General Electric, one of the leading manufacturers of electrical appliances in the world.
- Henry Ford. Founder of the great Ford Motor Company, whose fame cannot be expressed in words. But not in the automotive business is Henry's success, no. First of all, he was a great entrepreneur who always knew how to crush competitors for himself thanks to his ideas on organizing labor.
- Bill Gates. It is difficult to find someone who does not know about Microsoft, because the Windows operating system is now installed on almost every computer. Although in 1976, when Bill Gates first opened it, no one believed in the promise of a new industry. The reason for this triumph was an unshakable faith in himself and in his dream, because when Gates had to choose between work and study, he did not hesitate to choose the first.
- Ray Croc. Founder of McDonald's fast food chain. Rei was not a cook, moreover, he did not even come up with a menu in the first restaurant. The idea itself belonged to the MacDonald brothers, but the visionary Krok, sensing the benefits, bought all the rights to the company in 1961. After much effort, his network of branded eateries has spread all over the world.
- Steve Jobs. Another IT genius who dropped out of college for his dream. Many know him as the founding father of such a giant as Apple. Thanks to his ideas, Jobs was able to make his brand a dream of millions, which significantly increased its sales revenue.
Famous Russian businessmen
As for the Soviet era, all plants and factories were under the leadership of the state, and businessmen were equated with criminals. But with the collapse of the USSR, everything changed dramatically. Now everyone could compete for his piece of the pie, using his own tricks for this.
The most famous entrepreneurs of Russia:
- Mikhail Khodorkovsky. One of the richest people in Russia, his fortune is measured at 15 billion dollars. During his life, he tried many ways to earn money - from carpentry to oil trading. The latter brought him so much capital.
- Roman Abramovich. This man was popularly called the "aluminum tycoon", which is directly related to his occupation. Rabinovich himself believes: his success lies in the fact that he works tirelessly until he reaches the intended goal.
- Michael Friedman. Even during the Soviet era, Mikhail earned by speculating on theater tickets. Over the years, his income has grown significantly, which allowed him to penetrate into more prestigious areas of business. Many well-known entrepreneurs speak of him as a shark that will tear everything in its path.
- Rem Vyakhirev. Former head of Gazprom, who has entered into many important gas sales contracts.
- Elena Baturina. Famous Russian businessmen are not only men, and Baturina is a good example of this. This business lady owns several cement factories, as well as a network of the largest construction plants in Moscow.
The youngest entrepreneurs
Recently, the younger generation is more and more rapidly catching up with their mentors. So, many famous entrepreneurs of the world barely crossed the threshold of 30 years, moreover, half of them are still teenagers.
First of all, Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of the social network Facebook, should be noted. At the time of the discovery, he was only 20 years old, which did not become an obstacle to world fame.
Tom Turlow is a well-known English entrepreneur who at the age of 19 opened his book selling network. It was he who released the famous Harry Potter series, which made him even richer.
Chad Hurley is the man who invented YouTube. At the age of 31, he sold his brainchild to Google for $ 1.65 billion, making him one of the richest people on the planet.
Women in a harsh business
There are many examples of how women have become successful entrepreneurs. Therefore, we consider only the most famous representatives of the fair sex.
- Coco Chanel. She changed the world of fashion, and also stole the hearts of many men. All well-known entrepreneurs spoke of her as a reformer and saw her as a worthy competitor.
- Oprah Winfrey. In addition to hosting one of the most famous talk shows in the United States, Oprah is also a talented entrepreneur. Many are confident that she is able to turn into gold everything that touched her hands.
- Mary Kay Ash. She founded the cosmetics company Mary Kay Cosmetics, as well as the first to introduce a network sales system into it.
The most unusual ways to make a fortune
Well-known entrepreneurs are not only serious people, among them there are those who walk through life with humor. Partly due to this trait, they managed to earn their first millions.
The German Robert Pot for a long time headed the garbage company in the city of Wuppertal, but this occupation did not bring a decent income. Once he had a wonderful idea to organize a museum, where the exhibits will be trash from the city. As practice has shown, such a business could bring him his first million.
